New Delhi: The All India Mahila Congress has demanded the suspension of an IPS officer who has been accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl.
Sushmita Dev, president of the All India Mahila Congress, has written to Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma demanding suspension of the officer, who was recently appointed as the superintendent of police (SP) in a district under the Bodoland Territorial Region. The victim's mother, a senior police officer, had filed a complaint against the IPS officer in December 2019.
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Gaurav Upadhyay was recently appointed as the district superintendent of police, Chirang, as part of mass transfers after the new government took charge of the state. According to the complaint, a case of juvenile abuse was registered against Upadhyay in January 2020. After investigation, CID, Assam Police, filed a court complaint against the police officer under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The Mahila Congress alleged that the new government in Assam is not concerned about the security of women in the state as the officer has been appointed as an SP. The letter further claimed that the case, registered in January 2020, is still being probed by the Assam CID under sections 354, 354A (assault or criminal force to outrage modesty, sexual harassment) of the IPC and POCSO Act.
Bobbeeta Sharma, chairperson of the media cell, Assam Pradesh Congress, too, has criticized Upadhyay's appointment through a press statement and has raised the demand to suspend him. Sharma also alleged that women's safety in Assam has not been ensured due to such an environment.
